Winter
by cindylouise91
Summary: Set during the finale. Piper is left with Pennsatucky, forced to deal with what she has done. Story further develops into reconciliation with Alex.
1. Chapter 1

Her hands were completely numb at this point. They had gone from frigidly cold, to stinging with pain after the initial gash in her hand from Pennsatucky's weapon, to tingly, and now there was hardly any feeling at all. Just the steady thumping of her fists on Doggett's body. She suddenly realized she should stop. She looked around, feeling like she was 10 feet off the ground. It felt surreal.

"Shit." That was all she managed to say as she looking down. Was she alive? She reached down and felt for a pulse on Pennsatucky. Her hand was shaking too hard to tell and her fingers had no feeling.

Pennsatucky's sparkly head band was in the snow. She looked strange in her white angel costume now. The blood was…everywhere. Everywhere. The snow glistened. It was cold. Her face was hot. Her hands felt sticky with blood. Oh, god. Her face. Doggett's face. Piper stood up slowly, feeling dizzy. She was up for about a second before she toppled over.

Suddenly she realized she needed to get around other people. If Healy were to come out, he would surely kill her. They'd think it was the meth head. Oh, god, she needed witnesses. She couldn't be alone.

Frantically, Piper got to her feet and tried to run to the door. It was locked. She tried yanking and banging on the steel door to no avail. She would freeze out here. It was in the 20's and felt so much colder. So that's how Healy had this planned now…either she'd be killed by Doggett or she'd die from the elements.

"Goddammit, please. Caputo! Fischer! Mendez! Bell! Donaldson! Oh, God, please, anybody!" She screamed and screamed. She knew she probably wasn't being heard over the carol sing-alongs. She slumped down and put her hands by her mouth, breathing on them and trying not to start crying. She had to think. She had to get creative.

"The screwdriver!" She suddenly raced up, nearly falling over again. The blood rushed to her head, but she still got down on her knees and felt around the bloody snow. She saw it and chucked it as far over the fence as she could. She didn't want Healy to find it and use it against her if he came back out. She also took Doggett's creepy cross weapon and threw it, but made sure it was within eyesight.

Her breathing was ragged. It felt even colder now. She'd give anything to be inside the warm prison. Her mind quickly wandered to Larry. He was probably cozied up in their bed, typing away at a story about her. A resentful, pitiful story he would probably twist to make it seem as though he was the one behind bars, being tortured by his insane ex-girlfriend who threw his heart to the sharks. Was that who she had turned into? She let the first tear fall.

Piper began to whimper as she realized how lonely she was. No one cared she was out here. No one would come looking. If anything, she had more people against her than for her thanks to Doggett. That reminded her…she should check to make sure she was alive.

Piper crawled towards her, wincing as her knuckles hit ice and the snow melted through her pants. She leaned down and gently rested her head against her chest, listening intently for a heart beat. Sure enough, the meth head lived on.

"She…she's alive! Oh, God, I haven't killed her. Thank you, Jesus," Piper whispered, elated. Happy tears fell down her face. She couldn't live with herself if she had killed her. Doggett moaned and stirred, immediately invoking terror into Piper. She knew she was in much better shape than her, but was still traumatized. Goddamn, if she hadn't made her move, she'd be the bloodied one in the snow. Probably without a heartbeat.

Without thinking, Piper pulled off her jacket and placed it on Pennsatucky's upper body. She didn't know why she did it. She just felt like she should.

Suddenly the steel door began to creak open. Piper's voice didn't seem to work, she couldn't get any words out. She jumped to her feet to see who was coming outside. To her shock, it was Alex.


	2. Chapter 2

"…the fuck?" Alex slowly stepped out into the snow, Nicky and Morello following behind. Before Piper could say anything, the door slammed shut behind them.

Nicky ran over to Pennsatucky, crouching down by her face. "Good Lord Almighty, College. What the hell did you do to her?"

"I….I….I…oh…please…I'm sorry…oh…" Piper stammered, beginning to hyperventilate. Her arms were shaking harder now, it had been at least ten minutes outside without her jacket.

Alex whipped hers off and threw it around piper. She grabbed her hands and began to blow her hot breath onto them, trying to warm her up. The entire time she didn't say a word. Piper just kept stammering.

"Get. Help." Doggett groaned, her voice sounding venomous. Hearing her voice made Piper feel ten times better.

"She attack you, Chapman?" Morello questioned, still standing away from everyone. Her face was disturbed.

Between gasps, Piper nodded. Alex was still blowing on her hands. They started to hurt. She momentarily stopped her actions to push her glasses up on her head. They were staring to fog being so close to her breath. She snatched back Piper's hands and blew on them again.

"Ow, Alex, please-"

"The pain is good. It means you're feeling them again," She quickly said, halting her breathing and instead taking Piper's hands under her shirt.

"What are you-" Piper questioned before having them pressed firmly against Alex's warm stomach. Her skin felt like it was on fire. While it burned, it also felt like relief. Alex's face showed how ice cold it felt, but she kept them pressed there anyway.

"Hey, she's movin'. Should we get somebody?" Nicky yelled over to them, not quite sure what to do. Alex didn't even look over at them. Morello just stood there with her hand over her mouth.

"Vause, you want me to get somebody? Healy's on duty right-"

Piper ripped her hands out from Alex's shirt. "No, no no! Please, don't tell Healy. Don't leave me here with him…don't leave me…" Piper burst into tears. Her sobs wracked her body. She sounded like a child.

"Shh. Come here. We're not going anywhere, kid. Calm down." Alex opened her arms, allowing Piper to embrace her. Alex's voice caught in her throat. Her face looked like she'd seen a ghost. Piper didn't care that Alex probably hated her and was only doing this to stop her hysterics, she fell into Alex's arms and buried her face in her shirt.

"Shit, we can't just stay out here. My fucking mind is freezing over, and this can't be good for her just layin' in the snow," Nicky muttered, walking over to the door. She only knocked five times before it was opened.

"What's going on out here? Inmates, what's the-" Bell stopped dead in her sentence. Leaning her face down into her radio, she paged for backup in the yard.

The next several minutes were a blur to Piper. She was ripped from Alex, taken by each arm, and carried to the SHU. She knew she was sobbing the whole way there. She was yelling, too. Yelling for them to let her give Alex her jacket back.


	3. Chapter 3

She couldn't sleep. Her mind flashed back to Bell, pulling her aside and warning her that if she didn't explain what happened, she'd be just as bad off as Chapman.

Alex asked to be interviewed in Caputo's office. She hadn't interacted with him too much, but she knew Piper trusted him. She believed he would at least hear her out. The COs were too untrustworthy. She hadn't wanted to drag them into it, but she knew it was only fair to have Morello and Nicky join. More people could only help Piper's case. She wished she had had a few minutes to hear out the details of what went down between Piper and Pennsatucky, but her brain wouldn't work properly out there. Seeing all the blood, Piper's swollen and broken hands, feeling so helpless…it was too much to try to think clearly.

"Alright. I'm having Bell take notes on this as you all talk. We need to make sure all your stories check out. Vause, we're going to start with you. Tell us everything you possible can about what happened out there," Caputo said sternly. He was still in his Christmas outfit, something Alex found endearing. He reminded her of an uncle in that moment.

"I noticed both Piper and Tiffany were gone. Since we couldn't go back to our bunks yet, I figured they were either in the bathrooms or the yard. We, um, checked the bathrooms," a hot flush appeared on Alex's cheeks. Her and Nicky had done more than just look around in the bathroom. "We ran into Morello who asked if we'd seen Piper. She wanted to remind her about the Secret Santa…or something like that," Alex took a deep breath. What were they doing to Piper? Was she being taken to the psych ward? Was she in the SHU? Was she safe?

"Go on." Caputo's tone was flat.

"I went outside. Piper was shaking, she was terrified. She said Doggett had tried to kill her. She was laying there in the snow. We heard her ask us to get help, so we did. That's all." Alex looked dead into Caputo's eyes the entire time. She was shocked at how calm her voice sounded. Before Caputo could speak, she made she to add, "Piper Chapman was defending herself. She gave up her own jacket to keep Penn- I mean Doggett warm. I give my word, as well as I know Piper, she would not hurt someone like that unless she was in imminent danger."

Caputo stared at her for a few seconds. With a sigh, he then pointed to Nicky. "Nichols. See anything else?"

"Sir, I saw that meth head laying on the ground bleeding. My story's the same as hers." Nicky said, her tone unreadable.

"Morello?"

"Mr. Caputo, sir. I agree with these two. We didn't do nothing wrong, we had no part in it besides coming out to check on Chapman. I didn't want her to miss out on the party is all. Poor thing was freezing to death out there, looked petrified. Absolutely petrified…" Morello whispered the last part, shaking her head.

After several tense moments of questioning, the girls were sent back to join everyone else. Alex hung back, hoping to find out from Caputo where Piper was and what was happening to her.

"I can't give you that information, Vause."

Alex shook her head, still somewhat in shock. She had to hold it together.

"Please, Mr. Caputo. I need to ask you to do something. I'm begging you." Alex pleaded, keeping her body between Caputo and the door to his office.

"Vause, if you would please – "

"Just keep Healy away from her. He has it in for her." With that Alex walked away, telling herself to put one foot in front of the other.

_Taking steps is easy, standing still is hard._

As Alex lay in her bunk, she burned with anger at the system. Someone should have been protecting her. Someone should have been there to keep Piper from losing it like that. And now she didn't even know where she was in this hellhole. Tears burned her eyes as she turned over in her bed, gripping Piper's pillow for comfort.


	4. Chapter 4

The whole cafeteria buzzed louder than usual that morning. The kitchen had made a special Christmas breakfast of French toast along with the usual eggs and fake bacon. The orange juice seemed less watered down as well. The breakfast wasn't the cause of all the commotion, however.

Alex couldn't eat. She wandered into the room like a dream, hoping she'd catch a glimpse of blonde. She knew it wouldn't happen, but prayed anyway. She aimlessly walked forward, reminding herself to put one foot in front of the other. She felt eyes on her.

The quietest table was the one occupied by the Bible thumpers. Some were talking quietly; others just sat and ate with somber faces. Alex wondered if they were plotting how they could avenge Pennsatucky. She wondered for a second where she even was, if they had kept her in the clinic here or had to take her to the hospital. Then she realized she couldn't give a fuck.

Poussey motioned for Alex to sit with them. She had to call out her name to get her attention. Alex decided it was probably for the best. They had interacted with Piper the most since the two of them had ceased communication. They may have clues as to what went down prior to the attack. Plus, they had been there for Piper when she hadn't. That gave her comfort.

All of the usual gang that Taystee was with sat at the table. They all eyed Alex like she was about to beat them down, too.

Big Boo sat down heavily at the seat next to Alex. After taking a bite of her imitation bacon and licking each of her fingers, she whispered to Alex if she knew what had happened to the screwdriver.

"How did you…"

"I was her Secret Santa. That will remain a secret as well," Big Boo began, pointing her spork at her before sticking it into her eggs. "Huh, runnier than usual. Anyways, told Chapman Christmas came early for her. Gave it to her for protection, ya know?"

"I saved her ass the other day from probably being attacked in the damn showers. Pennsatucky had her nasty ass friends all blocking the bathroom. I ain't about ambushing someone, and I sure ain't about ganging up on someone. There was about four or five of them, tryna pull her butt-naked from the shower," Taystee began, pausing to make sure the other girls at the table were listening. "From what I heard, she had some creepy ass little knife that bitch was waving around in her face, saying she was gonna cut her. After psychobitch cut herself she rubbed her blood all over Chapman. Fuckin' nasty. I got Donaldson to come in and break it up. Girl was shakin' in her boots. I told her she could take her and to stop being a pussy," Taystee said in a low voice.

"Oh, god," Alex moaned, in disbelief over what she was hearing. How did Piper not have a nervous breakdown? "How did she handle it? Did she seem like she was confident that she could stop it?" Alex questioned. Her mind flashed back to the moment when Piper rushed into her cube, trying to talk to her. Saying her name so desperately…all she had done was turn her away. Didn't even hear her out. Shooed her out while her and Nicky were cozed up on her bunk.

"Oh, lawdy. She stayed sitting up in her bed at night. One night she didn't sleep one second. Terrified she was gonna get cut up in her sleep. Especially after that damn rat trick…" Taystee muttered, taking a sip of her juice.

"Excuse me?" Alex looked at her with an intense gaze.

Taystee's eyes widened, half surprised she was the one to initially share this news with Alex. "Yeah girl, bitch put a dead fucking rat with a death threat in her cube. Nasty shit right there. That's just some kinda ignorant bitch-ass shit. Callin' her an Amalekite. That's when me n' Black Cindy was able to give her advice-"

"Yeah girl, Amalekites is worse than them Philistines! They some crazy ass baddies. Methhead musta really hated Chapman." Black Cindy chimed in from down the table.

"And it was with a dead rat. _That's_ the part I can't get over. It coulda had all them diseases and shit. How did she even find that thing?" Taystee shook her head, obviously worked up.

Alex fumed. A message rat? What the hell was wrong with this girl. Her hands were clenched in fists. If Pennsatucky was in that cafeteria, she'd be damned. Alex would have finished what Piper had started. She was filled with anger…Piper was getting deliberate threats on her life.

"What the hell was your advice to her? Kill her before she does?" Alex demanded, her voice firm. She needed answers.

"I told her she don't have no choice, she got to handle it on her own. Them CO's woulda done shit. You know that. Chapman first thought that Pennsatucky wanted her at her goddamn Bible study, but I think deep down she knew that bitch was looking to kill."

"I told her to cut that motherfucka!" Black Cindy yelled, pounding her fist on the table. "You should have seen the look on her face. She was scared outta her damn mind. She should've taken my advice and gone for the cooch." She made a ninja-esque noise and pretended to karate chop.

Alex wanted to vomit.

Poussey looked up, her face solemn. She looked right into Alex's eyes. Alex met her stare.

"If I'm gonna be real witchu, I'd say that we was way too excited about a fight. We advised her bad, real bad. We told her she gotta fight her, but didn't teach her how. Chapman didn't stand no chance."

"Girl, what the hell you playin' at? Did you not see Pennsatucky's face? She was tore up. She got fight in her," Taystee declared, clucking her tongue.

Alex had enough. She immediately got up from the table and headed out of the cafeteria. Once she turned the corner, she collapsed onto the ground and started to cry. Loud, ugly crying. The kind of sobbing where she couldn't care how loud she was or who heard her.

She should have done something. She needed to find out where she was. No matter what she had told Larry not that long ago, Piper mattered to her.


	5. Chapter 5

The putrid smell hit her as soon as she stepped inside. In the yard, as she was pulled and hauled into the van, everything had felt like a blur, like she was ten thousand miles away and everything was a fuzzy memory. Now her senses were being overloaded.

She remembered a time when she was fresh out of college and contemplated getting a pet from the pound. With naïve ambition, she'd marched into the SPCA and smiled kindly at the volunteers, following the signs to the dogs. What she encountered was a strong stench, unlike one she'd never smelled before. But what she noticed first was the noise. The barking, nonstop whimpering and howling and yapping…it was inescapable. She stayed in the middle of the aisle and walked slowly, surveying each and every pup that was caged. She remembered the unquenchable sadness of it all. Some had clearly relieved themselves in their cages, though that hadn't kept them from leaping up and barking incessantly as Piper passed by. Others cowered in the corner and seemed to tremble without ceasing. Many just stared at her with sad, tired eyes. Though she wanted to take them all home, quite frankly she realized she wasn't ready for responsibility just then. Hell, what had she expected? White fluffy bichons, eagerly wagging their groomed tails as they pranced around their spacious pens? She was met with the reality of the pound. Jail for dogs seemed fitting. They weren't meant to be caged like that.

Neither were people.

The screaming was louder than she remembered. One high-pitched wail in particular echoed in her ear to her right as she was led to her cell. The COs who escorted her in were talking quietly to each other about where the extra blankets were. Something about the heat not working properly. The door got stuck as one of them tried opening it.

"Shit, it's locked. Can you stay with her? I'm going to see if I can find the tech," one of them muttered, not really waiting for an answer from the other CO. Piper kept her eyes down, reading the floor like a book. Her arms were still being held behind her back. She pain from Pennsatucky's shiv began stinging, but Piper didn't give a damn.

The other CO cleared her throat several times. Piper didn't recognize her. Surprisingly, she let go of Piper's arm and walked over to the cell that would soon become Piper's windowless hell. She peeked through the door jam and whistled.

"I'll get you some Clorox wipes sometime soon. Lazy bastards should have scrubbed down since the last time," she said gruffly. Piper grimaced at the thought of what she was referring to.

Several awkward moments passed before the guard tried opening the door again. Piper took the opportunity to try to look around and soak in every detail, every image she could gather of the outside. There wasn't much to take in. Litchford had added an odd yellow strip of paint as a border between the gray and white walls. The yellow looked almost shocking. Piper hated it. It felt like it was mocking her.

_"Dear God, I'm already going crazy…"_

The second guard appeared with a stubby man who lurched the door open for them. Piper was unceremoniously pushed into SHU 5-11. Her looked around the room, aghast at what she saw yet completely underwhelmed. Even smaller than she imagined it to be, the room was identical to the one she had been housed in before. The condition of it, however, was atrocious. There were smeared feces all along the west wall, the bed, and the toilet. Footprints had tracked it in pacing patterns on the floor as well. The stench made Piper's nose hairs burn.

"Good God man, does anyone clean these?" The male CO questioned, his face scrunched up in distaste. The tech had left without speaking to any of them. Piper just stood, her arms still behind her back despite them being free to move now. Her mouth was agape. She didn't know where to step. That's when the guards noticed the trickle of blood making its way down her hand. The thick, dark section where the wound was had already began to harden a bit.

"Hey, should we-" the female CO began, before she was cut off by the other guard slamming the door shut behind Piper. She shuddered as the sound bounced off the small walls. And she continued to stand, unmoving, for the next hour. All she allowed herself to think about was that they had forgotten to get her a blanket.

* * *

The loud shout of another inmate snapped Piper out of her stillness. _"Stillness, that's what I'll call this."_ She allowed her muscles to relax, not realizing how tense they had been over the past 12 hours. Probably longer, she thought. She didn't allow herself to think about anything except the now. With a deep breath, she took a small step towards the toilet. She peered over it and became quickly aware of just how unclean this undiscovered part of her cell was. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fell to her knees and wretched, most of it making into the toilet and joining the previous tenant's contents. Piper vomited until there was nothing left. The bile stung her throat. Her eyes stung as she realized how badly she missed her toothbrush in that moment. The taste of vomit caused her to spit several times into the steel toilet. She had to close her eyes, otherwise she knew that looking into the bowl would cause her to heave. She spit and spit until her mouth felt dry. Then she stood. Until the wipes came, she swore she wouldn't touch that bed.

Piper had no clue how much time passed before she heard someone fidgeting outside her door. Through the slot came a tray loaded with baby wipes and paper towels. Piper felt like her arm didn't belong to her as it stretched out to grab the contents. After that came not one, but two sheets pushed through. Piper held them to her chest and almost dared to smell them. She tensed as she realized her near mistake. Alex washed those. At some point during her time here, her precious hands had touched them.

It was too much. Piper made her mind shut down. It was time for survival mode. She wouldn't allow herself to break down. She couldn't.

She didn't know where to start. The toilet was clearly in the worst shape, but a part of her wanted more than anything to clean off her bed. However, she'd have to step on the lovely poop stained tracks to make her way over there. Sighing, she resigned herself to the floor. As she scrubbed, her mind focused solely on the task ahead of her. Piper wondered if it would help if she sang to herself. Words wouldn't come. She almost welcomed it.

She scrubbed every inch of her cement cell. She'd saved most of the wipes for the bed, which she sat heavily upon before reaching down to use the last wipe on her hand. It still burned, and had pulsed with pain badly as she cleaned until the pain no longer registered. How much time had passed? An hour? Three hours? She'd ever know. And that realization killed her. She laid one sheet down on the solid surface that was her bed and the other she wrapped her body in. No tears came as she lay there. Piper closed her eyes and begged her mind to stop.

* * *

Alex rarely made calls. She didn't even know who to contact, where to begin, but she knew she had only a small window of time to get Piper's stuff before it was too late. Borrowing a stained cardboard box from Sister Ingalls, Alex swallowed the lump in her throat as she entered Piper's cube. She'd snuck in here before Taystee went to bed to take Piper's pillow the night before. Someone had already snatched up Piper's snacks and her blanket. Her mind flashed with anger that greedy hands had already sifted through and taken her things. She grabbed the books off the table and gently laid them in the box. Her hands shook as she picked up the heavy manila envelope Piper had arrived with. It was filled with all of the notes and letters she'd received. Alex packed up her toiletries, still dripping under one cap from their last use. She couldn't help herself, she had to open the shampoo and smell. She closed her eyes and froze, the pain of Piper's absence beginning to hit her like oncoming traffic. She couldn't lose it, not now. She needed to be brave, be smart. Alex needed to hold it together.

She lost it as soon as she saw it on the far end of the shelf. It was so silly, so mundane an object. Had she used it yesterday? There were several blond hairs poking out of it. Alex held the brush as if it were made of porcelain and felt the hot tears fall. The goddamn _hairbrush_ did her in. That's when every regret Alex ever had of leaving Piper alone in this hellhole rushed over her, the darkness of it all encasing her heart.

_You may never come to me again._

_Ever._

Her harsh words washed over. God, why did she say that? She knew she was tired of the woman's fucking indecisiveness, her selfish merry-go-round games. But she didn't merit that dismissal, the utter elimination of their relationship, however complicated it may be. Taystee's description at breakfast of what Piper had endured the last couple days when Pennsatucky had messed with her – it was too much for Alex to wrap her mind around. It was overwhelming.

She needed her. She needed to fix this.

**Hi friends! Your reviews are lovely and much appreciated. Thanks for your interest in this story.**

**Sorry this was a bit of a depressing tidbit. The next couple of chapters won't be!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Bear with me, friends. This chapter is lengthy but necessary for the story to begin to unfold. **

Six days had passed. Piper knew because she marked a little scratch on her bed where the paint easily peeled back every time she got a meal. That meant nearly a week without food. She was feeling it. The appalling moldy tray didn't help. But she knew she was in survival mode. She drank everything given to her and picked at whatever was on the tray that she could force down. She knew eating everything would just cause the entirety of her stomach to end up in the toilet, so she chose wisely. She longed for Red's food. It was another thing she had to shut her mind off from thinking about. She allowed herself the tray of food three times a day, and the task of picking it apart and investigating it. She allowed her brain to process the pushups she did and the shits she took. Minute by minute she processed everything. It held the pain at bay. Survival mode.

That's why she almost cringed when she heard a rap on her door and watched as it opened to Figueroa. She stood, arms crossed as a guard stood at her side. Her face was stuck on that typical unreadable expression. Piper thought she looked beautiful. It was the first face she'd laid eyes on since she was put in the SHU.

"Chapman, we're going on a fieldtrip," she said flatly, her eyes remained focused on Piper as if any moment she may make a wrong move. As Piper shifted towards the door, she realized there was more than one guard with Figueroa. She had two additional COs with her, including Bennett. She felt a combination of panic and elation at seeing his familiar face. Panic because she knew thinking about him took away the walls she built for her heart's own protection. She looked down at her feet as they walked down to an empty room near the entrance. Piper glimpsed out a window. It looked like it was late afternoon, but it was hard to tell. She tried to remember when the last time the tray was delivered to her.

As the group entered the room, Figueroa motioned for Piper to have a seat. A table, same as the one in the rec room, was what took up majority of the small space. Piper slowly sat in one of the plastic chairs. Bennett stood by the door. The other guards were shooed off once they had reached their destination. Piper wondered why they had even come in the first place. Maybe it was standard protocol for someone like Figueroa to be escorted by so many of them in the SHU.

"So I'm going to be very clear about what's happened and what's going to happen. Then I want to hear from you what happened out there," she said, her legs crossed as she leaned against the table. Piper just stared. "Nichols, Vause, and Morello all say you acted in self defense. We are choosing to believe them…" she rambled on and on, discussing interviews and surveillance and other stuff Piper caught snippets of. She couldn't keep up with all she was saying. It was too much, to go from nothing but your own thoughts to a drawn out explanation of why she'd been sent to the SHU. It was too much. Her mind shut off as she began to examine the design in the fake wood surface of the table.

"Because of the extent of her injuries, Pennsatucky will spend several more days in the hospital before she's transferred to psych. Do you feel you need to undergo psych treatment, Chapman?" Piper tore her eyes from the table, but still didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. "I want to help you. I know this has been traumatizing, but we can't pretend this ugly incident didn't happen." Piper's eyes met hers. She felt hollow.

"Here are your options. Stay here until we feel you're safe to return to the dorms, or spend some time getting evaluated in psych. I'm offering you a choice," Figueroa said, narrowing her eyes. Piper shrugged. After several moments of silence, she turned on her heel and headed towards the door. Bennett called out to her, asking what she wanted him to do.

"Take her back," she called over her shoulder.

* * *

Alex pounded into the flour sack again and again. The huge sack that held the rice had felt good to hit as well, but she feared tearing a hole in that. Her fists ached. Mendoza had had enough and swung the pantry door open.

"Get out. Now." Her face was set as stone.

"Fuck off." Alex's voice was calmer than day. The Hispanic woman stood there watching her; Alex continued on as if nothing had happened.

"All you're doing is feeling sorry for yourself," Mendoza whispered, her face still solemn. Alex paused, her shoulders tight and fists clenched. "She's down there starving, probably losing her fucking mind and you're just beating out your own frustrations."

"You're right about that," Figueroa stated simple as she waltzed into the kitchen. Mendoza jumped, had hands going to her heart in surprise. Alex just turned, a steely look on her face. "Right about what?" She asked, almost scared of the answer.

"Make her up some food. Guards say she's returning her trays barely eaten. I need to keep her down there, but I need her to eat," she said slowly, her eyes darting from Alex to Mendoza.

_Oh god, Piper._ Alex felt the color drain from her face. It was bad enough for Fig, the fucking administrator, to march into the kitchen and order food for her? Shit. Shit shit shit. Alex wondered about her injury, too, but didn't mention it. Her primary concern was her eating.

"She loves Poptarts. I have some, in my cube. Can I…-" Alex paused, wracking her brain for other foods she could get her hands on easily.

"A couple things. They'll be searched, so don't go trying anything. Mendoza, I want that tray sent down in an hour." With that, Figueroa was gone.

Alex wasted no time. Her heart seemed to beat out of her chest as she practically ran to the Suburbs. She pulled down her treasured box of Poptarts. Strawberry…they weren't Piper's favorite but they'd do. She frantically searched under her bed and grabbed the Hershey bar she'd bought on her last visit to the commissary. She didn't like that both of them were sugary, but she knew they were high in calories and that was enough. She raced back to the kitchen and wordlessly helped Mendoza and the other women with dinner.

* * *

_Twenty-seven._ She felt the familiar beads of sweat forming on her back and the sides of her face. _Twenty-eight. Good job, Piper_, she told herself. _Twenty-nine_. She was going slowly now, her muscles aching. _Thirty. Twenty more, come on._ She collapsed as she saw the tray appear, knowing she needed to get up and retrieve it. Her abs ached from the crunches she had slowly performed on the floor in her cell.

The tray…it was different. She saw orange juice, her favorite. She hadn't had it since before she left. And a roll…God, bread. She prayed it was without mold. And there was a loaf of meat, but it looked…edible. Shit, the whole tray looked edible. Piper's eyes widened. She didn't know where to start.

Before she dug in, the guard waved something else under her slot. _Surely not._ Yes. Those were fucking Poptarts. Piper knew she wouldn't dare eat them just yet. She wouldn't even open them. She held the package like manna from the heavens, in complete awe that they had appeared in this hellhole.

Suddenly, her mind started to warn her. It was as if a buzzing alarm had gone off, like the ones she went through daily before the SHU.

She just knew these were from Alex. And that wall, the goddamn wall she had fought to keep around her heart, crumbled just a little bit.

* * *

"I saw Bennett taking that evil, wicked girl food. I know it was for her, I heard them talking. Tiffany lays dying, and we see that vile piece of filth getting dinner served to her. This is Satan working, y'all. This is spiritual _warfare!_" Leanne Taylor spat as she yelled, getting a frenzied response from her table. She stood up and made her way to the dwindling food line. Most everyone had getting their dinner, and Alex had gotten there last.

"Hey Vause-"

"You fuck with me, I don't give a shit. You speak of Piper, you even mention her name and I overhear it, I'm going to finish what she started," Alex hissed, shooting Taylor daggers with her eyes.

"She don't know what's coming-"

Alex snapped. She lunged at Leanne, her eyes ablaze. The room erupted as Alex pinned her down, leaning her face as close to the shaking girl as she could without making contact.

"I warned you. One more word." Alex's words were like venom. She felt hands pulling her up, and she didn't struggle. She'd gotten her point across.

* * *

Piper couldn't sleep. She never did get that blanket. Her thin sheets were wrapped around her. The lights were never turned off, the screams were so erratic and her mind wouldn't shut off when she tried to sleep.

Oh, how Piper loved sleep. It was the glorious opportunity to just…be. She knew she had nightmares. She'd wake up shaking, screaming. She'd usually remember them as well, but it still offered her a chance to dream about being away from those four walls. Sleeping also scared her. Many times she would dream about Alex, which was unbearable whether it was a nightmare or a pleasant dream. No matter what, it caused her to wake up heartsick. Sometimes she dreamed about her family, and how Polly and Pete and Finn were doing. She enjoyed those dreams. But of course, they were always cut short by the frightening dreams. The dryer…god, she dreamed of Alex stuck in the goddamn dryer. The worst was when she relived her run-ins with Pennsatucky. She would wake up hysterical, begging someone…anyone…to hold her.

* * *

Alex had lost it again. She'd threatened two more bible thumpers and gotten four shots over the next week. Not getting any information about Piper was maddening. Figueroa never sent for a tray to be sent. She was sent to Healy's office, and she welcomed it. His cold, steel eyes flashed over her face. She knew he hated her. And, because of this fact, she smiled at him. She gave him the same beaming smirk she flashed at Piper the night she first met her at the bar. Healy averted his eyes, shifting paperwork.

"One more shot, Vause. Consider this a crystal clear warning."

Alex looked around his office. She took in the pathetic picture of his wife in a dress that was way too short sitting in a broken frame on his desk. She noticed the stained coffee mugs collecting in the corner, and the dented filing cabinets that cluttered the dim office. Alex didn't speak a word. She dared him to speak with her eyes.

"You know, I've been pretty understanding of you since you got here. I overlooked your…diversions with Chapman. But I'm not stupid. I know she broke you," he chuckled, shaking his head. Alex clenched her fists, knowing this was working in her favor but hating it at the same time. "She chose the man, huh? As soon as she gets out, you bet your ass they'll procreate. He will give her the American dream. And you…you'll get," he paused, looking up at Alex.

"Nothing." She whispered, looking down at her hands. God, this hurt. It was necessary, but it hurt.

_I pick him. I pick Larry._

_Of course you do._

"That's right. And I feel for you Vause, I really do. But I can't have you attacking other people because she broke up with you. Again, from what I hear." A grin was plastered on his face. _This is it, _Alex thought to herself.

"Please, Healy, just…can I go?" Alex asked softly, playing with a string on her shirt. Healy gazed at her for a while.

"One more stunt, Vause. Don't force me to get creative."

Alex got up, resisting the urge to clock him. She opened the door and walked down the hallway, telling herself to wait an hour. Before long, she encountered one of the gap-toothed girls who worshipped the ground Pennsatucky walked on. She was one of the more unfortunate looking ones, but was usually pretty quiet. Alex deliberately looked her up and down, catching her eye. The girl recoiled, a disgusted look appearing on her face at the thought of Alex Vause looking at her like she was a piece of meat. Alex slowly began to walk towards her bunk, letting her tongue circle her lips as she saw the girl's panic written across her face. As she saw her window of escape closing, the girl shrieked and ran towards the bubble, pounding on the glass.

Several minutes later, Alex Vause was being walked by Mr. Healy into to the SHU. For dramatic effect, she made her arms shake and pleaded with him to turn around. He seemed thrilled to be tossing her to what he figured was her worst fear – confronting the girl who had smashed her heart twice. His hope was as avident as his idiotic grin – he was thinking Alex would take her anger out on Piper. He asked the guard which cell was hers, and practically beamed with joy as he watched the guard open the heavy locked door to 5-11. He stood there just long enough to watch Piper's reaction to Alex being shoved into her cell.

"Now you two don't go killing each other, now. Vause has been pretty violent lately," he chuckled, whistling as he walked down the hallway.

Alex wiped the stunned look off her face as soon as she saw Healy leave and replaced it with a coy smile. She just worked him like she had worked all those mules over the years. She still had it.

Piper, however, wasn't smiling.


	7. Chapter 7

** Ah, the suspense! I know, I'm excited to see these two locked up together. For clarification, my idea was to have Alex thrown into the SHU by Healy as 'punishment'…what he would think at least. Alex wants reconciliation even though she's pissed at Piper, and Piper thinks Alex never wants to speak to her again. The point was for Healy to think he was getting the upper hand, while Alex plotted for this to happen by being disruptive and violent – Healy thinks she's having these outbursts because she's so torn up about Piper ending things with her. Make sense?**

**Enjoy ;)**

Piper couldn't believe her fucking eyes. Alex was unceremoniously tossed into her cell. These things were barely big enough to lay down and do crunches – how the hell was she supposed to share? Was this even allowed at Litchford?

Her second thought was paralyzing fear at seeing Healy's grin. His smirk grew as he saw Piper's dumbfounded expression. As the door slammed shut, Piper went into survival mode. She had to pretend Alex wasn't here. Maybe they'd come and take her away when they realized Healy's mistake. He couldn't have meant to put her here. Why her cell? Shit, why her cell?

Then, she hit the ground. The connection from her brain to the rest of her body didn't seem to be communicating.

"Well, this is lovely. I must say, you've done a great job with the place," Alex said sarcastically, her arms crossed. She was trying to cover up her apprehension with words. She didn't have a fucking clue what to do or say to Piper right now. And apparently she was feeling the same way. "Gonna give me a tour of the place?"

"What – what are you doing here?" Piper stammered, not quite sure she'd ever laid eyes on anyone more striking. It almost hurt to look at Alex. It was that familiar, overwhelming feeling of being around people. Only multiplied by a thousand because it was her.

"I kept causing trouble. Healy thought that the worst punishment possible was landing me here…with you."

Piper had to look down. Eye contact with her was unnerving.

_"Get the fuck out. Now". _

Seeing her and Nicky together on that bed.

_"You may never come to me again. Ever."_

Several moments passed. Neither made eye contact. "Damn, it's cold in here," Alex said, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Piper reached behind her and handed Alex one of her white sheets. Her face paled even more when she remembered there was only one tiny bed. One of them would have to sleep on the floor. Alex took the sheet and furrowed her brow. "Is this all they give you in here? A goddamn sheet?" Piper just nodded slowly. Her brain still felt fuzzy.

* * *

Alex was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea. She wanted to talk with Piper, to figure out how she was doing and try to help, but it was like she had shut off. She didn't speak, didn't move, didn't even look at her. Her eyes looked dead. How long had she been in here? Alex couldn't remember. She'd lost count.

S_hould I touch her? Pull her into a hug? Would she claw my eyes out if I got in her face and made me look at her? God, she looks so skinny. I know the food's supposed to be bad, but she looks like a fucking bag of bones. I've never seen her jaw so defined. _Alex was startled with Piper sat up and walked the two feet to the silver toilet.

"Umm, if you don't mind…" she muttered so quietly Alex could barely hear what she said. Then it registered…she wanted her to look away. After seeing every inch of her and shitting without doors in the bathrooms here, her request for privacy took Alex aback.

"Sure thing. Sorry," Alex said, not quite sure what the right thing to say was. Alex studied the bed while Piper peed, averting her eyes and not quite sure what to do with herself at this point. When Piper finished, she washed her hands in the tiny sink and rubbed them on her khakis.

Alex sat down on the bench that served as her bed, patting the seat next to her. "We need to talk."

* * *

_What the hell._ She took a seat next to her, her back against the wall and her feet up facing Alex. Her arms wrapped around her knees. She saw Alex's eyes zero in on her hand. She didn't even try to hide it. Since she'd been in the SHU, it had swollen up pretty high. While it was excruciating, Piper had managed to drain it out. It seemed to be on the mend, but it was hard to tell. She thought she'd remembered something about it getting much worse before it got better. She hoped that applied to other aspects of her life as well.

She followed Alex's eyes, looking down at her hand where Pennsatucky's shiv had done its damage. "It's fine. I clean it. A lot."

"It looks fucking gross, Piper. It's obviously infected. Have you told anyone?"

Piper couldn't help but chuckle. "Who the hell do I have to tell? The hand that brings me my food?" Alex quieted. The awkward silence fell over them like a blanket.

"I hope they know to bring two trays," Alex said softly, playing with the hem of her shirt. "It should be dinner time soon, right?"

Piper nodded. Alex sighed. Piper examined her cut some more. Alex crossed and uncrossed her legs.

"I can't take this fucking silence, Piper. We need to talk. I…I came here to try to help you, to make sure you were doing okay down here," Alex began, her voice loud and her eyes burning. Piper sat stunned.

"Look, I know you chose Larry – "

"Shut up, Alex. I don't want to talk about it." Piper snapped. It was the loudest she'd spoken in over two weeks.

"Please just talk to me. Scream at me. Do something!"

"You said not to ever come to you again." Piper's fists were clenched. Her injured hand started pulsating. _Survival mode, goddamn it. Hold it together..._

"I know what I said. I say stupid shit all the time, Pipes. You never used to take me that seriously before."

Piper got up and started pacing. She felt like a caged animal. She remembered those pound dogs again. On her way out that day she had overheard a volunteer talking to someone else about the aggression that is caused from being in a cage too long. How even the friendliest of dogs begins to change its personality when that happens. The woman had called it frustration-elicited aggression. Piper called it losing her fucking mind.

"Alex, I chose, okay? I chose and it wasn't you. And I hate myself for it, okay? I fucking hate myself. Larry left me. Did you know that? Because I'm too fucking nuts. And you know what? I think that's perfectly justifiable." Piper was yelled at this point, her eyes darting from her hands to the floor as she walked the several feet back and forth. Alex just sat on the bed staring at her, her expression indecipherable.

Suddenly, it dawned on her.

"Oh, my God. She was right. Doggett was right." Piper started to laugh.

"Umm, right about what?" Alex asked, her voice laced with caution.

Piper hadn't stopped laughing. She stopped and bent over, her hands on her knees. "She was fucking right. She said I wasn't worthy of any anyone's love. Ha, not even God's. She got me right though, huh? Didn't she, Alex?"

"Piper-"

"Pennsatucky read me better than anyone," Piper started laughing again. Alex was trained on her face the whole time, hardly blinking. Suddenly, Piper's laughing turned to screaming. She fell to her knees and screamed and screamed, rivaling any of the shrieking heard in the SHU on a daily basis. Then, as quickly as the screaming had started, it stopped. Piper gasped as the walls around her heart once again began crumbling away. Wracking sobs erupted from her, and the hot tears that she hadn't allowed to come since that snowy Christmas Pageant began to fall.

* * *

Alex threw her arms around Piper. She initially flinched at the contact, but Alex held on. She curved her arms under Piper's and grasped her shoulders, offering up her own. She didn't say a word, didn't try to shush her or stifle the crying. She just held on tightly. Her heart shattered into a thousand little pieces seeing her like this. Piper cried and cried. Eventually the tears stopped and she just whimpered, sagging into Alex like a ragdoll.

_Oh, Piper. Why oh why oh why had she named her, put her through all of this? Why hadn't she been able to protect her from Pennsatucky, or from shithead Larry, or Healy? _Alex's own tears began to wet her face. She loved this woman. It was a crazy, maddening, all-consuming love. Piper had been quiet for quite some time, so Alex lifted her up and carried her to the bed. Sure enough, she had worked herself up to exhaustion. Alex reached for the sheet Piper had given to her and tucked it around her gently.

She then turned, took three steps, and emptied the contents of her stomach.

**Oh man, I'm really excited for the next chapter. Are you? ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

Piper sat up, stretching. She had no idea what time of day it was, or even what century for a couple of seconds. She saw Alex was curled up on the floor, her raven hair contrasting sharply with her porcelain skin. God, she looked flawless. Piper resisted the urge to touch her.

"Alex?" She called to her softly, her voice raspy from her breakdown earlier.

The woman stirred and shifted, then her piercing green eyes fell on Piper. "You can have the bed. Do you know how long we've been asleep?"

"No clue. Dinner came, though." Piper looked over and saw not one but two trays. So, they knew both of them were in here. She wondered how long this arrangement would last.

Alex got up slowly and picked up both trays. Her nose immediately wrinkled as she examined what was on them. "Ugh ...you weren't kidding."

Piper scooted over, allowing Alex room on the bench. "I don't ever touch that," she said, pointing to the brown and white mush in the center of the tray. "The starchy stuff is decent. And the fruit is probably years old, but it's edible."

Without a second though, Alex heaped all of her syrupy fruit onto Piper's tray.

"Eat."

* * *

When they finished dinner, Alex laid down on the bed and groaned. Her stomach almost immediately felt the effects of that nasty excuse for food. She'd choked down as much as she could to get Piper to eat. She figured if she could stomach it, Piper had no excuse.

Without warning, she threw up over the side of the bed all over the floor. Piper leapt up and gathered toilet paper. She wiped Alex's mouth with one hand and held her hair back with the other.

"Oh, god. I'm sorry," Alex groaned, closing her eyes and shuddering. If there was one thing she hated the most, it was puking. And she'd done it twice today.

"Do, um, you think you're gonna do it again?" Piper asked as she gently rubbed Alex's back.

"Nope…I think I'm good," Alex lied, wiping her hand across her face. Piper smiled apologetically as she got up and began cleaning. "Piper, I can get that,"

"No. Rest." Piper demanded gently. Alex didn't argue. It was the most Piper had spoken to her since she got there. When Piper had finished cleaning as best as she could, she sat at the foot of the bed as Alex curled up more to make room for her.

"This is going to be a tough sleeping arrangement," Alex mused, wondering out loud if they'd sent another set of sheets or a godforsaken blanket.

"Well, I'll sleep on the floor. If you want, we could take turns-"

"Piper, shut up. Obviously – "

"Don't. Tell. Me. To. Shut. Up." Piper hissed. Alex's eyebrows shot up, not quite expecting that reaction. SHU Piper was a lot harder to read than normal Piper.

"Seriously, what is wrong with– "

"We're not sleeping together, Alex. We shouldn't even be talking to each other."

"Why?"

Piper just stared at the floor. She seemed unsure of how to answer that. Alex let a smile creep into the corner of her mouth. "Is it because you still want to fight with me? By all means, if you need to keep yelling – "

"Do you think this is a fucking _joke,_ Alex? I'm in maximum security. I've been here for sixteen days, alone. I'm _always_ alone." Her voice was icy.

"Hey, come on. I want us to talk about things. Even though it sucks, and it's painful as shit, Piper. It's healthy to talk about this."

There was a long silence as Alex waited. She'd wait as long as Piper needed.

Finally, she opened her mouth to speak. What she said ripped Alex's heart in two.

* * *

Piper debated for a second if it was worth saying. She hated how much she'd wiped the floor with Alex's love. The times where she'd had Alex by her side in Litchfield had been the highlight of her time there. She had gone to bed at night thanking her lucky stars that she had someone like Alex Vause. Someone who loved her enough to put herself out on the line for her.

"Alex…I'm such a wreck. I'm manipulative…and…and needy, and just fucked up. I craved stability, which is why I chose him."

_"You've been getting married since before you got here. This is not news. Say what you really mean."_

_"I pick him. I pick Larry."_

_"Of course you do."_

"Dammit, Alex, the second I told you that I knew it was all wrong. But for once, I'd decided. I knew that my selfishness trumped what I loved about you in that moment," she paused, the familiar punch-in-the-gut feeling returning.

_"I love you, too. But we both know I don't have the balls to free fall through life with you."_

_"No, you don't."_

"Alex, I didn't expect you to stick around. I wanted you to be free of me, but when I saw how easily…how quickly you moved on to Nicky…how easy it was for you to cut me out, I lost it. That tension I had, I took it all out on Doggett."

* * *

"I know." Alex answered softly. None of what Piper was telling her was news to her. "I pretty much told Larry all of that when he came to visit. But you know what, kid?" Alex saw how Piper's chin quivered when she called her that familiar nickname. Oh, god, she was just so fucking adorable. "You're unbelievably frustrating, and yeah, a little manipulative. But I'm still so madly in love with you. I had to shut you out for my own sanity. But now, being apart from you like this…I went nuts over there without you. Hell, I went nuts when you left me in Paris all those years ago. I can't seem to let you go, Pipes." Alex felt her voice shaking. She knew she was getting emotional, and it kind of scared her. But she knew Piper had to hear it.

"You know what Pennsatucky said isn't true, right? I need you to believe that, Piper. Believe me. You're a gem," Alex smiled through teary eyes, reached out to cup Piper's chin. "A precious little gem."

"Alex…" Piper whispered, staring into her eyes. Alex met them back. She learned her forehead against hers, never moving her eyes. She locked in on Piper, willing her to believe what she was telling her.

"I love you. I love you, Piper Chapman. I love all the dorky little things you say, I love your bad dancing. I love your smell and how well you know how to make a cup of coffee. I love your smile, and the way you stick your tongue out between your teeth when you fix those goddamn toasters. I love how passionate and crazy and adventurous you are, and I love how good you are at having sex. I love your desire to see the good in people. I love that you took a chance on me," Alex paused, taking a shaky breath, "and I want you to take a chance on me again."

Piper had tears rolling down her face. Alex thought she looked fucking beautiful, sans the emaciated part. Their foreheads were still pressed against each other. Piper closed her eyes and sighed, her breath hitting Alex's face.

"Yes. Of course, Alex."

* * *

They stayed up talking until breakfast came. Piper told her all about SHU, elaborated on what happened out in the yard with Pennsatucky, and shared more about what happened with Larry over the phone. Alex had talked much more, revealing everything even remotely new about what happened since Piper had left, down to Taystee getting new nailpolish. Piper felt like she was hearing a wonderful story. God, it had been so long since she had conversed with another human being. She was unspeakably delighted it was Alex.

After a terrible meal that thankfully ended with Alex not vomiting it all up, they both acknowledged their fatigue. Alex laid down first, making sure the sheet was spread out beneath them. During breakfast, the guard had slipped through a thin blanket and a few necessities, including toothbrushes. Piper felt like a child on Christmas morning. Piper draped the extra sheet and blanket over Alex before sliding down next to her, burrowing into her arms that stretched out to meet her. Oh, it felt so good to be her little spoon again.

It was a tight fit, but Piper wanted this arrangement so much more than what she'd proposed earlier. She let out an involuntary moan as Alex's arm slipped under her shirt to wrap around her stomach.

Alex's hot breath tickled her ear as she learned over to whisper. "I'm so happy I've got you back, Pipes. I've missed this."

Piper shivered, but not from the cold. Her heart fluttered with absolute adoration for this woman. This brilliant, gorgeous, fucking inevitable woman.

* * *

Alex had a permanent smile plastered to her face. Her hand wandered beneath the confines of Piper's shirt, smirking as she felt Piper wiggle.

"I remember that first time I laid eyes on you, kid. I couldn't stop smiling, do you remember? You looked nervous…but so carefree and happy. I was so intrigued by you. This beautiful, hot, wavy-haired girl with that bullshit resume. God, I knew I wanted you. I wanted to know you…wanted to understand who you were. You know what caught my attention, Pipes? The fact that you stayed in that fucking bar. You stayed even though there wasn't a job for you there. You stayed, and I wanted to know why. I was drawn to you, kid. I couldn't explain it." She laughed, smiling fondly at the memory. "You had put safe, clean, and careful…are you any of those things, Pipes?" Piper giggled, realizing she was anything but when it came to her relationship with Alex. "I wanted to know more about you. I'm pretty sure I told you that," Alex whispered the last part.

Piper had laced her fingers with Alex's, careful not to let her bad hand touch her. She'd purposefully pushed herself up as tight against Alex as she could, enjoying the warmth radiating from her body.

Several quiet moments passed by. Piper murmured, "You did." So quietly she was sure Alex hadn't heard her. The soft kiss planted on the back of her neck proved her wrong.

**It does my heart good to finally get these two back to each other. Please let me know what you think. **


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is short, but I wanted a sweet little moment for these two after an emotional previous chapter and probably a tumultuous one to follow. Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

As her eyes began to flutter open, she tried to register where she was. The thick, hospital-esque smell, the feeling of the hard bench, the sounds…her mind quickly told her she was still in the SHU. The warmth behind her told her differently.

Piper's heart soared as she remembered. She's here. Someone, the raven-haired beauty, the one she had given her heart to all those years ago, had made it back to her. Trying hard not to stir too much, she turned so she was facing Alex. Her glasses were gone, having been set aside before bed on the ground. Her thin eyebrows stood out more without them, and Piper resisted the urge to trace them with her fingers. Immediately her eyes drifted to those perfect lips, the ones she still remembered kissing for the first time on a cold October evening in Connecticut. She was so beautiful, but in such a different way than anyone Piper had ever seen or met before.

This was a rare moment. Piper rarely ever witnessed Alex Vase sleeping. When they were together, Alex had always gone to bed way after Piper, either reading or working on her laptop. Some nights she even snuck out devoid of warning, Piper only discovering her absence when she made sleepy late night walks to get water from the kitchen or use the bathroom. In the mornings, Piper was always the last one awake. She used to be insecure about it, feeling lazy and vulnerable. She'd catch Alex watching her some mornings, her face close and a curious smile strewn across her lips. Sometimes she just vacated to another room, busily typing away or talking on her phone as to not wake her. As time went on with Alex, however, she learned that it was just the way things were. Alex liked being up first.

Piper smiled, remembering fondly waking up with Alex. It was something she took for granted, especially those first few nights after she'd moved out and tried to start over. It took everything she had in her not to pick up her phone and call her, begging her to come wrap her up. It was the guilt that had stopped her…the horrendous feeling of knowing she'd left her in such a terrible situation. Another part of her feared what would happen if she saw her again…the feeling that she may decide to stick around and play along in Alex's illegal game. Piper was so sick of feeling pushed to the side, like she was a silly toy that was no longer shiny and new as long as Alex kept moving up in the ring. And the fear. The crippling fear that she would be expected to help in that game again. It was too much. She bitterly accepted the lonely nights…but oh, how she had missed this.

Not able to take it any longer, she lightly kissed Alex's nose. Grinning, Piper nipped at it with her teeth. She knew where she'd rather kiss, but didn't dare let their lips touch. She knew it wouldn't be appropriate…especially not after all that had happened since she'd decided to marry Larry. Piper sighed in frustration, her heart bubbling over with regret. She reached her hand out to push a lock of hair back behind Alex's ear. Her mouth twitched, and Piper's hand snapped back. Alex made an adorably sweet sleepy noise, her mouth opening to sigh. Piper stiffened, hoping she hadn't awoken her. Suddenly, vibrant green orbs pierced hers. Her dark lashes provided the perfect contrast between those astounding eyes and her pale skin.

"Hey there," Alex whispered in her husky voice. Piper suddenly felt shy.

"Hi," she whispered back, "I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"It's ok. You alright?" She was smiling back, but her face was lined with worry. Her eyes quickly darted across Piper's face, searching for anything wrong.

"I'm fine. I'm not sure why I woke up," Piper kept her voice at a whisper, though she wasn't sure why. The SHU transcended time, with the lights perpetually on (though they were dimmed at night) and the noises of other inmates only slightly hushed. "I'm glad you were able to fall asleep. I'm sorry for bothering you."

Alex chuckled, moving to lay on her back. She pulled the blanket a little higher and closed her eyes again.

"What's so funny?" Piper demanded, unnerved that she didn't know what was causing her to laugh. She sat up on one elbow, her face a safer distance from the woman.

"It's just ironic. That I sleep better in the fucking SHU than I ever slept in minimum, or even in my beds at home. And I have tempur pedic on that shit," Alex smirked. Piper remained silent. She wasn't quite sure what to say.

"I'm gonna go back to sleep. I'm exhausted. What time is it?" Alex yawned the last part. Piper scrunched up her brow, thinking hard.

"It's gotta be somewhere between 4 and 6. But that's a shot in the dark." Piper guessed, laying back down next to her. "I wish it was dark. It's so hard to sleep here with these lights."

Alex opened her eyes, turning her head to meet Piper's eyes. "Come here." She said simply, her arm reaching around behind Piper.

"Are…are you sure?" Piper's voice was hesitant, but she felt her heart begin to beat faster. She hadn't slept on Alex like that in years. It had been one of her favorite ways to fall asleep. Alex didn't speak. She just waited until Piper gingerly lay her head down on her chest, her hand creeping up to slowly rest on her shoulder. She felt so solid, yet comfortable. God, she missed sleeping like this. She dared herself not to move, but Alex must have sensed her body tense.

"Shh, relax. Just pretend we're in Bangkok. The lights are from the hotel room, I need them to keep working. That never used to keep you from falling asleep anyway. All those voices are just the people outside, everyone going somewhere in the city," Alex murmured, her right hand rubbing soothing circles over Piper's back. They made her shiver, but it felt wonderful. She instantly relaxed, listening to Alex's deep and familiar voice. "We've got that high suite, the one that had the huge mirrors over the bed. Remember that?" She whispered. Piper nodded, her fingers curling around Alex's shirt. She felt warm lips brush it, every so lightly planting a moist kiss over her wound. She didn't have the energy to tell Alex that was gross.

"Now, tomorrow, we can go check out the pool. If I'm remembering right, it's the one that has the bar in the middle…"

She was lulled to sleep in no time.


	10. Chapter 10

"How long do you think we'll be in here?" Alex asked as she stretched, wishing there were about twice the amount of space in the room.

"No clue. I honestly am shocked I'm not in psych right now. You'd think – "

"You'd think this place could keep fucking inmates from being killed, but we see how that goes." Alex interjected, her voice dark.

"Al…I'm okay."

"You're okay because you fucking lost it and took Pennsatucky out."

Piper then burst into tears. Her hands shook as she covered her face with them, her body shaking. Alex immediately regretted her words. She wished she could just stuff them back into her mouth and say what she was supposed to say…that everything would work out. That Piper would be sent back, that Pennsatucky would be back in no time, and that Piper only did what she had to do. Alex just sat on the bed, shaking her head at the situation.

She got up and knelt beside Piper, taking special care to peel her hands away from her face. Her eyes were rimmed with red, glassy. Alex gingerly took Piper's face in her hands and looked it over, trying to memorize every detail. She crying had stopped and the two women sat, on the floor of the cell, just mesmerized by the other.

Suddenly, Piper spoke up. And what she said caused Alex to double over in laughter.

"What do you wear, you know, after we broke up?" She knew the question was odd, but her curiosity got the better of her. She had always loved Alex's unique style, but figured she probably had a more sophisticated wardrobe now.

"Um, clothes…?" Alex answered, her face lit up with amusement.

"Yeah, but like what kind of clothes? You always wore the layered tank top things, and the cool jewelry and stuff when we first were together. When you got much busier, it was rare when I didn't see you in yoga pants," Piper smirked, receiving a deserved shove on the shoulder from Alex.

"Well, when you know you're going to be sitting around all day in a damn hotel room, who the hell wouldn't wear yoga pants?" She smiled, her lips pursed in a way that made Piper's heart swell. "Honestly…I just sort of went to black jeans and t-shirts. Not what you'd expect, huh, kid?"

Piper snaked her hand down to hold Alex's, remembering how much Alex loved when she would wear just a t-shirt and jeans. All of the time she'd spent picking out cute outfits, trying to stay at least some-what fashionable without breaking her bank account, and all Alex wanted her in was a plain t-shirt. Which never seemed to stay on for long…

"I think I'm still in love with you," Piper began, feeling like she was no longer in control of her words. "I don't expect anything from you. Trust me, I know that's the last thing to expect. But I need you to know that. I made a really fucking stupid decision, but that never has changed the way I feel about you." Piper finished, her eyes drifting down to where their hands had become knotted together. She was afraid to look up. She suddenly felt Alex scoot closer and her hand was released from her grip. Alex snaked both hands under Piper's neck, a devious smile on her face.

She knew she should probably stop. They had so much more to work through, but she couldn't help herself. Desire had ignited in her body, and she figured from her little speech moments before that Piper felt the same way.

Her hands raked through Alex's scalp, massaging the small spot that always made Piper begin to come undone. Sure enough, her mouth opened and her eyes closed. Alex took complete advantage, moving her mouth forward to envelope her lips. Piper moaned, allowing Alex's tongue to run its way down across her bottom lip and then meet her own. The kiss was fiery and painfully slow. Alex was savoring it. She moved one arm to the hem of Piper's shirt, moving it under and up as she felt her stomach. Piper groaned again as Alex maneuvered her hand over Piper's bra, pinching where her nipples were. Piper interrupted the kiss and tried to forced Alex's hand under her bra, but Alex was having none of that.

"Hey, my turn. You'll get yours, young lady," she smirked deviously, moving her lips to Piper's throat. Her hands returned their attention to Piper's chest, moving her breasts up and down and squeezing. Piper's head was thrown back, her cheeks flushed.

"Please, Alex…" she hissed, begging her to move south or dip those long fingers underneath her bra.

"I love when you say my name, kid."

Suddenly, Piper was on the floor underneath Alex, her shirt being lifted off of her. She raised her head and her arms to quicken the process, wishing out loud that Alex would remove hers to. Which she did in no time, pressing her skin against Piper's. That feeling enough was all it took for Piper to begin to come undone, grabbing at Alex's bra to try to remove it. Alex moved with grace and precision, managing to remove both of their bras in a matter of seconds. Piper began to writhe underneath her. Alex slid her body slowly up and down Piper's, their chests bumping into each other each time. By this point, Piper was muttering incoherently. Alex gave her a quick, full kiss on the lips before she began moving one of her hands down over Piper's pelvic bone. She bucked, begging the raven-haired woman to enter her.

"Patience, Pipes…" Alex whispered, her eyes bright with passion. She moved her hands around the sensitive area, running them through the small patch of hair and tracing the outer areas of her thighs. Piper was trying her hardest to remain still, but she knew it wouldn't be long before she lost it.

"Alex, come on. Please…"

She suddenly dove two fingers into her, silencing Piper's inevitable scream as she kissed her fully once again. She kept working her lips, knowing the screams would continue. She added a third finger and began working her clit, wishing she could move down there to taste her. Piper's face was completely flush and her body was incredibly heated. Alex felt like every fiber of her being was on fire. God, how she missed this.

No longer able to take it, she shimmied down so her face was directly in front of Piper's sex. Piper automatically pushed her knees up and Alex assumed her usual position, grabbing hold of Piper's knees and moving her legs farther apart.

"Try not to scream," she murmured before diving her tongue in, tasting as much of the blonde as she could. Adding a long finger, Alex pumped and licked for about ten seconds before Piper finally came undone. She sagged, her body spent of energy. Alex gave her clit one last soft kiss, smiling as Piper's sensitive area throbbed.

She collapsed next to Piper, laying her head against her shoulder as they both lay panting. She felt Piper's arm reach out to envelope her tightly. Alex nuzzled into her neck, moving her left arm and leg so they draped over Piper's hot body.

"You still got it, Al."


End file.
